Rod-packing for steam-engines



3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model) 0. LONGSTRET'H. ROD PACKING r011 STEAM ENGINES.

No. 603,588. Patented May 3, 1898.

(No Model.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. LOINGSTRETH. y 7 ROD PACKING FOR STEAM ENGINES. 7

No. 603,588. Patented May 3,1898.

w: NORRIS PETER; co, PHoTa-Lrruo. WASHINGTON e. L,

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

UNITED STATES METALLIC PACKING COMPANY,

PENNSYLVANIA.

OF PHILADELPHIA,

ROD-PACKING FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,588, dated May 3,1898.

Application filed November 8, 1897. Serial No- 65'7,7Z2. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES LONGSTRETH, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Yeadon borough, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in Rod-Packings for Steam-Engines, &c., ofwhich the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide an efficient form of Babbitt orother soft metal packing for the piston-rods or valve-rods ofsteam-engines, pumps, and the like, a further object being to preventaccess of water from the cylinder to the gland containingthe rodpacking.These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a verticalsection of sufficient of a steam-engine to illustrate my invention. Fig.2 is an end view of the same with the piston-rod in section, and Fig. 3is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a special form of packing.

Part of the cylinder-head of an engine is represent-ed at l in Fig. 1and part of .the

piston-rod at 2, a gland 3 for containing the soft-metal packing-ringsbeing applied to the outer face of the cylinder-head l and being securedthereto by nuts applied to the bolts 4, usually employed for securingthe follower of the ordinary stuffing-box. To a concave seat 5 in thegland 3 is fitted the convex face of a ring 6, and upon the inner faceof the latter bears the outer face of an annular box or casing 7, whichcarries the soft-metal packing-rings 9, the latter being of the usualsplit or segmental character, so that they can be compressed upon therod 2.

Bearing upon the innermostof the packing-rings 9 is an annular follower10, which is acted upon by a coiled spring 11, contained in the recessof the cylinder-head, which in an ordinary stuffing-box contains thefibrous packing-rings and follower.

The recess formed in the casing 7 for the reception of the packing-rings9 has a beveled outer wall, the bevel presenting two different angles ofinclination in respect to the surface of the piston-rodthat is to say,the angle of the beveled wall of the forward portion 13 of the recess isless acute than the angle of the bevel throughout the remaining portion14 of the recess. Hence as the packing-rings are forced forward in therecess of the casing 7 by the pressure of the spring and of the steam orother fluid upon the follower 10 the forward ring, or that portion of itwhich is subjected to the wedging action of the beveled wall 13 of thecasing, is forced inward against the piston-rod with greater force thanthose rings or portions of rings which are subjected to the wedgingaction of the beveled wall 14. Hence there is such a tight hold of theforward packing-ring upon the rod 2 that any steam which may leakbetween said rod and the inner packin g-rin gs is effectually stopped bysaid outer ring.

By the use of the casing 7, having a recess with differentially-beveledwall, I am enabled to secure the desired abrupt wedging effect upon theouter ring of the series without any sudden or abrupt change of angle,and am also enabled to impart a contracting pressure to all of the ringsas they are forced forwardly in the casing 7, thus overcoming certainobjections to structures of this character which have formerly been usedand in which the casing had a recess with wall partially parallel withthe surface of the rod and partially inclined in respect thereto.

If desired, the bevel of the wall of the recess in the casing 7 maypresent three or more different angles instead of but two, and there maybe but a single packing-ring 9 instead of a series of such rings.

When engines are being run at full boiler capacity, it frequentlyhappens that large quantities of water are carried over into thecylinders with the steam, and if this water escapes from the cylinderinto the stuffingbox it acts with a ramming efiect upon the soft-metalpacking and rapidly destroys the same. For this reason I apply to therod 2 an inside packing, which will have the effect of preventing theescape of water around said rod and of throwing it away from the rod andtoward the sides of the cylinder. This internal packing consists in thepresent instance of a pair of rings 15, applied to the inner face of thecylinder-head and contained within a bevel-walled recess in an annularcasing 16,

which is mounted upon springs 18, surrounding bolts 17, which projectinwardly from the cylinder-head and pass through openings in said casing16, nuts 17, applied to the inner ends of the bolts, limiting the inwardmovement of the casing under the action of the springs, which willuphold the casing 16 against the pressure of steam to which it issubjected. When in this innermost position, the beveled wall of therecess in the casing 16 does not compress the rings 15 upon the rod; butwhen there is a downward rush or pressure of water upon the casing thesame will yield, the springs 18 will be compressed, and the rings 15will be forced tightly against the rod and cylinderhead, the escape ofwater from the cylinder being thereby prevented.

In applying my invention to cylinders having long stuffing-box casings Isometimes use a series of casings 7 with internal soft-metalpacking-rings, as shown in Fig. 3, in which two of said casings 7 areillustrated, aring 19 being interposed between the forward end of theinner casing 7 and the innermost packing-ring 9 of the outer casing 7,soas to transmit pressure, the outer casing being acted upon by a follower20 and the escape of steam around said follower being prevented by meansof an outer ring 21, having sharpened edges, one of which impinges uponor bites into. the outer face of the cylinder-head or stuffing-boxcasing, while the other impinges upon or bites into the flange orfollower 20, so as to form a steam-tight joint at both points.

The ring 19 may, if desired, constitute an annular flange projectingfrom the front end of the casing 7; but the separate ringis preferred.

To the outer end of the gland 3 (shown in Fig. 1) and also to the outerend of the follower 20 (shown in Fig. 3) is applied a casing 22 forcontaining lubricant for the piston-rodsuch, for instance, asoil-saturated waste--this casing having on one side an opening 23,through which oil may be supplied to the contents .of the casing, thegland or follower having a projecting stud 24, located immediately inline with this opening and perforated for the reception of a pipe,whereby oil may be fed to the contents of the casing either continuouslyor at desired intervals.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of arod, one or more soft-metal packing rings surrounding the same, a casinghaving a recess which receives said ring or rings and has an outer wallpresenting different degrees of bevel, the forward bevel being the moreabrupt, and provision for pressing the packing ring or rings forwardlyin said recess, the forward ring being of considerably greater widththan the abruptly-inclined portion of the wall of the casingsubstantially as specified.

2. The combination of a cylinder and pistonrod with an outer set ofpackings for said rod,

and an inner packing which is pressed against a forward seat by theimpact of water in the forward end of the cylinder, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination of a cylinderand pistonrod, with packing for thelatter located Within the cylinder and consisting of a ring or ringssurrounding the rod, and a spring-supported casing surrounding saidrings and having a beveled face for compressing the same when it ismoved forwardly against the action of the spring-support, substantiallyas specified.

4. The combination of a cylinder and pistonrod, with an outer set ofpacking-rings for the said rod, and an innerpackin g bearing against aforward seat and contained in a beveled recess in a sleeve which isacted upon by the impact of water in the forward end of the cylinder,whereby packing-rings are pressed both against the forward seat andagainst the rod.

5. The combination of a rod and a cylinderhead or other structure havinga recess therein, a series of casings contained within said recess andeach containing a series of packing-rings, a ring whereby pressure istransmitted from each casing to the packing-rings contained in thecasing in advance, a springactuated follower for pressing upon the innerring of the inner casing, and a follower. for

pressing upon the outer casing of the series,

substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LONGSTRETH.

\Vitnesses:

F. E. BEoHToLD, J os. H. KLEIN.

